Rishi Sunak considers benefits freeze and public sector pay freeze to pay for Covid crisis.

[HeIenaDove]

www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/rishi-sunak-considers-freezing-benefits-22712652?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebar

Rishi Sunak has looked at a freeze on benefits and public sector pay to fight the spiralling cost of the coronavirus crisis, it is reported today.

Sources failed to rule out the crushing blow to millions of workers and the poorest - just a few years after long austerity freezes finally ended.

The Chancellor is also said to be trying to persuade Boris Johnson to suspend the "triple lock" on pensions, reports the Mail on Sunday - amid fears it will artificially rise due to the economic turmoil.

A Treasury source downplayed the reports, emphasising that the government previously said there would be no return to austerity.

However, the department failed to rule out the claims, saying it would not comment on future tax or spending decisions

This is unsurprising. If people insist on being 'kept safe' by having pathological tunnel vision focused only on one risk, then they have to expect life to go to utter shit. I don't know what else anyone was expecting tbh. But hey all the children who die due to poverty won't have died of covid so who gives a flying fuck eh?

Are we surprised?

Well I’m not quite sure what people were expecting,

Of course this is coming. You’d be a fool to think otherwise.

Locking down is eyewateringly expensive. 20% drops in GDP are unprecedented. Public spending will, of course, be crippled by this.

If that's "all" I will be very grateful (and I'm a public sector employee).

Why is a public sector pay freeze news? It would be more newsworthy if there was a rise.

It's always the poorest people who pay for these things. The smug gits going on about protecting people and 'doing the right thing' will suddenly be silent when they're asked to stump up more tax to prevent people from dying of starvation. Once they themselves can eat, they won't give a toss about the people who are on the bones of their arse because the sources of income that they depended on has disappeared.

Yes, that's right take from people on benefits rather than taxing the big corporations, of course that's the moral thing to do.

Its hardly going to encourage self isolation if poorer people know this is coming down the road...................oh wait thats why the fine has been brought in

@TheDailyCarbuncle Ive seen that already re. face masks.

Presumably they'll follow the same failed economic route after this economic crisis as they did after 2010. Plenty of people will say 'its the only way' whilst Europe does it differently - and will probably get out of recession faster than us again.

Benefits freezes are ideological not economic sense. Same shit different day.

@Bourbonbiccy

Yes, that's right take from people on benefits rather than taxing the big corporations, of course that's the moral thing to do.

I agree with you in principle but the problem here, in theory at least, is that if a big corporation moves away it leads to job losses, more people in poverty and fewer working people paying tax. I'd like to see them pay their fair share but can see the government are in a cleft stick when other countries would welcome them with tax incentives

I'm public sector, as is my DH. All I can do is laugh at this. There's fuck all else I could do about it if I wanted to do anything.
I get that there's other areas the money could be taken from, but this government are ideologically opposed to raising corporate revenues etc so it's be expected.

Moderating the Triple lock has been discussed on numerous threads to avoid a massive increase in the state pension as average earnings hopefully bounce back.
The harsh reality is we need the big coporations to invest in new jobs to replace those that have and will be lost due to Covid. Large tax increases won't promote that investment.

I’m not sure what people were expecting. My employer has imposed a pay freeze and I suspect many other private sector firms will do the same.

No changes there then, public sector pay has been frozen for the last ten years.

They did bump it up by a tiny percentage this year but nowhere near enough to make up for a decade of being frozen.

This might be the final kick up the backside to get me back to the private sector.

And yesterday we had the sob story about how Boris is overwhelmed and co versed about finances because he 'only' earns £150k which is far less than he did before.

Ah well we’re used to pay freezes anyway 🙈 in fact I’ve had a pay freeze for far more years than I’ve had mediocre pay rises...

And in other news, bears shit in the woods....Yawn.

Both of us public sector, both of us worked harder than ever throughout lockdown. Fucked over, yet again.

I hope they do get rid of the triple pension lock, Tory pensioners may then wake up and smell the coffee. A new labour government should then reinstate it.

Gosh, that's shocking. I had no idea that was going to happen. I thought the money to pay for all the large contracts to Boris's mates and the debts he's racked up would be paid off by fairies. Meanwhile, in other news, the poor lamb is worried about how he can afford a nanny.

Well my public sector pay has been frozen for 10 years. So effectively my pay has been cut in real terms, year on year since 2010.

The private sector is also inflicting pay freezes. I work for a big corporation and we didn't get a pay rise this year. The public sector and benefit claimants shouldn't be exempt.

Public sector jobs are also, by and large, safer than private sector.

Trying to skew this as big mean Tory austerity rather than "pandemic decimates economy; everyone pays for it" is just political spin.